Connecticut western news., 1887-12-28
SEWERS IN FLAMES,
The Terrific Experience Endured by
 Rochester, N. Y.

ROCHESTER, Dec. 21.-An accidental dis charge of l4,000 gallons If naphtha into one of Rochcster's main sewers to-day produced the most sensational and uncommon disaster that this city or any other ever experienced. Soon after o'clock the heavy stone covering of manhole of the Platt street sewer was blown of by terrific explosion, and then al- most immediately another explosion occurred beneath the Clinton Touring Mill on Mill street. The upheavals were followed by sheets of flame that burst out with great fury to height of sixty feet. Inc Clinton mill, owned bv J. H. Poole, took fire first, and the flames spread quickly to the Washington mill, owned by J. A. Kinds X Co.,, and the Jefferson mill owned by J. G. Davis X Go. These three mills and contents were destroyed, involving loss of over S2O0, ,000.
 The first explosion was followed quickly by others along Mill and Platt streets, and at several points on West avenue, making over forty in all, and extending along four miles of sewers. In each case the manholes were all blown to pieces, and in many cases flames shot up and continued to burn fercely for several minutes. The explosions were so vio- lent as to hurl rocks into buildings and against pedestrians, causing panic through out the whole region traversed by the sewers.
 An immense crowd of people was attracted by the unusual occurrence, and they were no sooner forced to flee for their lives from one place to another than they were followed by explosions that spread terror everywhere and ten thousand persons is a moderate estimate of the number that were kept clambering over each other for the two hours that the explo- sions continued. Horses ran away, women tainted in the streets, and street c IS were thrown from the tracks. Reports of slaughter among the mill hands spread rapidly and bare-headed, half crazy women adde their shrieks and supplications to the scene of c ,n- fusion. The continuance of the explosions and the great accompanying stench mystitied the excited throng, and many thought the final judgment had come
 It was four hours before the firemen had the flames in the burning building within con- trol and vet these sEvents of he'll as some sewers with rumbling, reverbcrating sound as another explosion occurred.
 The cause of the peculiar disaster was ar attempt to pump the naphtha from the Vacu um Oil Company's tanks through two-mile conduit to the Municipal Gas Company works near the centre of the city. After 14,' 0O) gallons had been pumped in thc gas folks reported that they had received none. Then it was discovered that the conduit had not done it's W TX, snd a Vacuum Oil man was 1T tho act of reporting the loss of that large amount of naphtha to the municipal authoritie. in control of the sewers when the first explo sion occurred. The Vacuum Oil Company IS { branch of tue Standard, and the conduit which turned the naphtha into the trunk sewer ln- stead of into the gas works is controlled by tht Vacuum Company, that will be held responsi ble for the catastrophe.
 At this writing two persons have died from injuries received, and at least three are miss ing. This is partial list of the wounded
 Miss Alice Poole, daughter of one of the pro prietors of the Clinton Mill, badly injured about the spine; William Ritchie, teamster, leg broken; George Davis, burned and bruised
 William Richards, leg broken; Joel G. Davis
 broken leg and arm; J. A. Hinds, proprietor of the Washington Mill, face badly burned
 Warner Westcott, leg broken; George Mitch ell, head cut; James Smith, badly cut ano
 bruised: Edward Cannon, burned about tn; facr; Aaron Harrison, lc, broken; William
 Wallace, night wat .hman, badly burned. Several more are known to have been in jured, some seriously, but they have beer
 taken to their homes, and their names canno be learned at present.